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DRIVING THE WEEK — Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Asia. President Barack Obama is heading to the Middle East. And in Washington there are high hopes for the passage of a continuing resolution to keep government funded after March 27.

IN JAPAN, CARTER TALKS NORTH KOREA — Having visited Japan over the weekend, Carter will also make stops in South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia during his weeklong swing through the continent. Carter’s visit comes just days after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the Pentagon would increase the number of missile interceptors on the West Coast to guard against potential threats from North Korea — an issue Carter discussed in a meeting with Japan’s senior vice defense minister, Akinori Eto. “They discussed the current security situation in the region, including the threat from North Korea,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a readout of the meeting.

“In this context,” Little added, “Carter affirmed the steadfast and enduring U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan.”

OBAMA’S ISRAEL SCHEDULE— The president will arrive in Israel on Wednesday for separate meetings with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday, Obama will meet with Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Later Thursday, he’ll deliver a speech at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. And on Friday, he’ll meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, with whom he will hold a joint press conference.

The president returns to Washington on Saturday.

MEANWHILE ... ON CAPITOL HILL — Hopes are high that the House and Senate can pass a continuing resolution package this week, before the Easter Recess. “We can do it; we can do it quickly this coming week,” Sen. Dick Durbin said yesterday on Fox News. “I urge my Senate colleagues: Let’s be sparing in the amendments, let’s get the CR passed.”

Work on the continuing resolution was punted from last week to today because of the number of amendments the Senate needed to work through. The current CR expires in nine days.

BEECHCRAFT BLASTS AF DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD DESPITE BID PROTEST — The Air Force is moving forward with its decision to award a $427.5 million contract for light-attack aircraft to Sierra Nevada Corp., despite a bid protest filed by rival company Beechcraft. “This decision is very misguided,” Kansas-based Beechcraft said in a statement. “It will lead to the loss of American jobs and substantially higher costs to American taxpayers.”

Meanwhile, the Brazilian company Embraer (Sierra Nevada’s partner on the contract) has signed a lease on a facility in Jacksonville, Fla., where it will build the 20 A-29 Super Tucanos, which are for the Afghan military. The Wall Street Journal has more: http://on.wsj.com/111LvLq

AEI’S EAGLEN: DoD’S 2014 BUDGET A ‘DERELICTION OF DUTY’ — The American Enterprise Institute’s Mackenzie Eaglen blasted the Pentagon yesterday for not factoring sequestration into its 2014 budget request, which is expected to be released next month. “It’s a political decision, and it’s a dereliction of duty, I think, by senior Pentagon leadership,” Eaglen said. “It’s not just irresponsible — they’re not following the law. The law is the sequester is in place.”

Eaglen’s remarks came during a roundtable discussion on “This Week in Defense News.” Other guests included Gordon Adams of American University, Rick Maze of Military Times and Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. Watch the discussion here: http://bit.ly/WuIvbA

WAR REPORT: KARZAI AGREES TO ONE-WEEK DEADLINE FOR PRISON TRANSFER — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has agreed to a one-week deadline for the complete transfer of a U.S.-controlled prison that has become a major sticking point in U.S.-Afghan relations, CNN reports. Karzai and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone over the weekend and agreed to the new timeline for handing over control of Parwan prison to the Afghans, according to a statement released by Karzai’s office.

“President Karzai agreed with the new time request and reminded Secretary Hagel that the transfer has been delayed several times in the past and that this time, the handover should take place,” the statement said. More here: http://bit.ly/XiUoNJ

ENGEL WANTS LETHAL AID FOR SYRIAN REBELS — Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, plans to introduce a bill today calling on the Obama administration to provide weapons and aid to vetted rebel fighters in Syria, according to Reuters. “It is past time to stop the madness in Syria,” Engel said in a letter to House colleagues. More here: http://yhoo.it/1053eCB

NAVY ENDS COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS TO GITMO —The Navy is scaling back commercial flights to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, potentially making it difficult for journalists and lawyers to visit the Gitmo detention facility, the Miami Herald reports. Most civilians traveling to the base now will have to ask DoD for a ride aboard a government plane. More here: http://hrld.us/15UzaeL

SEQUESTER WATCH: GOLDEN KNIGHTS GROUNDED — The Army’s high-profile parachute demonstration team, which often jumps into sports stadiums, has canceled 70 planned jumps because of sequestration, according to service officials. The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels, popular flight demonstration teams, have also had performances canceled because of the automatic cuts.

WHAT PROS ARE READING:

— FORMER BRAC BOSS DEFENDS IT AS DIFFICULT BUT HELPFUL: Anthony Principi, the chairman of the 2005 BRAC commission, argues that it might be better to get another round of base closures and realignments over with, rather than to put off the painful process. The Pentagon is expected to pitch future rounds of BRAC in its budget submission next month. Phil has the exclusive interview with Principi: http://politi.co/133B6DY

— CONGRESS PEEVED BY DoD TUITION MOVE: Sens. Jim Inhofe and Kay Hagan teamed up last week for a bipartisan amendment to force the Pentagon to reinstate tuition assistance for active-duty service members. The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps had previously announced they would cancel the aid for the rest of the fiscal year, citing the squeeze of sequestration. Tim has the details: http://politi.co/133Bpi9

WHO’S WHERE WHEN:

Noon: CJCS Gen. Martin Dempsey speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Gulf roundtable luncheon, in Washington.

12:30 p.m.: SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) discusses defense policy at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, in Washington.

SPEED READ:

— Sanctions against Iran have taken a major economic toll on the country but have had little effect on its nuclear ambitions, according to WaPo’s Joby Warrick and Anne Gearan. http://wapo.st/132izb2

— An Air Force instructor at Lackland was sentenced over the weekend to four years in prison for raping a female trainee at the base, the AP reports. More than 30 instructors at the base are being investigated in connection with a widespread sexual-assault scandal. http://bit.ly/103mmAY

DESSERT: PANETTA PICKS PORTRAIT PAINTER — Leon Panetta has selected Maryland-based artist Peter Egeli to paint his official Pentagon portrait. Egeli, a former Marine, is an old hand when it comes to Pentagon portraits. His list of past clients reads like a Who’s Who of military A-listers: Former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Peter Pace and Adm. Mike Mullen, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee, among others. We’ve got the details, for Pros: http://politico.pro/YiwFAu

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AUSTIN — Today is Morning D author Austin Wright’s birthday! Send him well wishes at awright@politico.com. Hot tips will be happily accepted as birthday gifts. And while we’re on the topic of birthdays, please send notable birthdays to tmak@politico.com for shoutouts in the future.

THAT’S ALL FOR US. Have a great Monday.

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